1. Field of the Invention:
The present invention is related to athletic training and game machines and more specifically to a method and apparatus for measuring and recording speed and accuracy of pitched or thrown baseballs and softballs
2. Description of the Prior Art:
Amateur baseball and softball are popular sports, and many players desire to increase their proficiency for various aspects of the game by engaging in additional practice. However, the nature of the games, based on pitched and hit balls or thrown and caught balls, generally requires at least two participants to practice even the most rudimentary skills of the sport, such as batting, pitching, throwing, and catching the ball. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to get another willing participant at any time and for any duration to assist in practice sessions. Also, there is some desire for objective measurements of performance in practice sessions, such as velocity of pitched balls and speed and throwing accuracy of infield and outfield plays.
Myriad mechanical ball pitching and throwing machines have been developed to deliver balls to batters and catchers for practice purposes. The U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,269,162, 4,524,749, 4,995,371 and 5,121,735, issued respectively to J. Abraham et at., P. Giovagnoli, J. Kuizinas, and K. Hancock, are examples of ball pitching and throwing machines, and there are many others as well. Some of them, such as the Giovagnoli machine, can be adjusted to deliver lobtype or essentially straight pitches, as desired, to the batter.
However, very little has been developed to assist pitchers or infielders and outfielders in self-practice to improve their skills. Speed radar guns are sometimes used to measure the velocity of pitched balls, and less expensive velocity calculators based on distance/time relationships, such as the U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,014, issued to J. Calimeri, have been developed to indicate pitched ball velocity. However, they require another person besides the pitcher to operate and get useful data.